Reed frame



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United States Filed July 18, 1958, Ser. No. 749,441 6 Claims. (Cl. 139-192) This invention relates to loom reeds and has for its principal objects to provide a reed frame of the kind in which the ends of the dent wires are anchored in an elastic matrix so as to be substantially independently yieldable and so constructed as to afford a wide range of flexibility and spacing of the dent wires and to avoid danger of imparting endwise pressure to the dent wires when the frame is clamped within a lay.

The reed frame has rigid, rectangularly disposed members, the top and bottom members including spaced parallel bars between which the ends of the dent wires are disposed and anchored in place with an elastic matrix, as shown in my copending application for Reed Frame, Serial No. 588,318, filed May 31, 1956, now Patent No. 2,869,587. In accordance with this invention there are bearing members disposed beyond the extremities of the dent wires and coextensive with the top and bottom bars for receiving the clamping pressure in the lay without the latter bearing on the extremities of the wires. The bearing members may be channel-shaped caps disposed with their webs spaced from and parallel to the ends of the dent wires with their legs embracing the bars or the edges of integral extensions of the bars themselves. Preferably the space between the ends of the wires and the channel or the extensions of the bars is filled with more of the elastic matrix so as to prevent dirt from accumulating therein. In further accordance with the invention the flexibility and spacing of the wires is determined by varying the durometer hardness of the elastic matrix and the diameters of the wires.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form of the reed frame, broken away in part;

FIG. 2 is an elevation as seen from the top or bottom edge of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevation at the top or bottom edge of a modified form of the reed frame; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings, the reed frame is made up of top and bottom spaced parallel members and 12, rigidly joined to laterally spaced, parallel end members 14 and 16 by rivets 18 or other suitable means. Each of the members 10 and 12 is comprised of spaced parallel bars which are held in spaced relation at their opposite ends by the upper and lower ends of the end members 14 and 16. The spaced bars of the top and bottom members 10 and 12 provide spaces at the top and bottom of the frame for receiving the end portions 20 of a plurality of dent wires 22, which are disposed in the frame in spaced parallel relation between the end members 14 and 16. The end portions 20 of the dent wires are anchored between the bars of the top and bottom members 10 and 12 by a matrix 24 of elastic material comprised preferably of a two-part, polysulphide liquid polymer chemically curing elastomer.

In the preferred construction, coiled springs 26 are disposed next to the top and bottom members 10 and 12 along their inner sides, the helices of which are accurately formed so as to hold the dent wires in uniformly spaced position with respect to each other during the application atent ice of the matrix. These springs are left in situs after the wires have been anchored and are preferably covered or embedded in more of the matrix which, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, is spread between the inner edges of the bars and the springs so as to fill the spaces therebetween. At the inner sides the matrix is tapered down to the wires so as to provide a smooth finish.

A frame, thus constructed, while providing the flexibility of dent wires sought for, is subject to distortion of the wires when the frame is mounted in the lay due to the irregularities in the lay rails, which may apply pressure endwise to the dent wires and thus cause buckling and/or to foreign matter which may find its way between the rails of the lay and the reed frame and similarly produce deflection of the dent wires when the rails are clamped in place. To avoid this possibility a bearing member 25 is mounted on each of the top and bottom members 10 and 12 so as to receive the clamping pressure of the rails of the lay without danger of the latter applying endwise pressure to the dent wires. The bearing member, as shown in FIG. 3 in cross-section, is channelshaped and is disposed with its web 2 8 spaced from and parallel to the end extremities of the dent wires and with its legs 30--30 embracing the bar '10 or 12, as the case may be. The channels are coextensive with the bars 10 and 12 and are rigidly secured at their ends to the bars so that pressure supplied to the web portions 28, which provide the bearing surfaces for the frame, will not force them inwardly on the bars so as to apply pressure to the ends of the dent wires. The space between the extremities of the dent wires and the channel may be filled with more of the matrix 24.

Alternatively, the bearing for the top and bottom of the frame may be constituted by the edges 3232 of integral portions of the bars 10 and 12, extending beyond the end extremities of the dent wires, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This form affords a somewhat simpler construction which can be fitted to the lay without widening the groove ordinarily provided and the space between the extensions is filled with more of the matrix 24 to prevent an accumulation of dirt or other extraneous matter between the extensions. Pressure applied to the bearing surfaces 32132 will not be transmitted to the ends of the dent wires because the latter are elastically anchored thereto and pieces of foreign matter which may accidentally be trapped between the lay and the matrix covering the ends of the dent wires will for the most part merely become embedded in the matrix without transmitting a direct force to the ends of the dent wires therebeneath.

Heretofore the flexibility and spacing of the dent wires has been controlled primarily by the size of the wires required to give the stiffness wanted and the necessary spacing therebetween to accommodate the yarn. Thus, frequently to provide the necessary spacing it was necessary to sacrifice stiffness, and vice versa to provide the required or desired stiffness it was necessary to sacrifice on spacing. A compromise was therefore necessary and as a consequence the woven cloth did not embody all of the characteristics wanted and frequently yarn breakage was excessive.

It was found that this could be overcome almost wholly so that a manufacture could specify stiffness and spacing of dent wires for any given cloth without compromise of one or the other and this was accomplished herein in conjunction with the foregoing construction by using matrix material for anchoring the ends of the dent wires of different durometer hardness with wires of different diameter. For example, by using a high durorneter hardness matrix the ends of the dent wires can be anchored much more rigidly so that the portions of the wires between their anchored ends are constrained to a greater degree against flexing than would dent wires whose ends were anchored in a matrix of lower durometer hardness. Thus, it is possible to use very small diameter dent wires and to secure the required rigidity in the wires without increasing their diameter merely by changing the durometer hardness of the anchoring matrix. It is apparent therefore that the dimension of the wire is no longer a function of the stiffness of the reed frame and hence very much greater leeway is afforded for meeting the requirements for a given weave. In other words, the spacing can be made within limits very closely to that which is required and the stiffness can be controlled even with wires of small diameter by changing the composition of the matrix to provide a durometer hardness which will hold the ends of the wires more or less inflexibly anchored in place.

The elastic matrix, as heretofore pointed out, is a twopart polysulphide liquid polymer chemically curing elastomer and its durometer hardness may be varied through a wide range by the addition of a greater or lesser amount of plasticizer. Any suitable resinous polymer including a curing agent which will produce curing of the matrix at room temperature or at a temperature well below that which would adversely affect the dent wires may be employed. The mode of applying the matrix is unimportant so long as a sufficient quantity is applied to the ends of the dent wires to fill the spaces between them and between the bearing members as pointed out heretofore. It should be understood of course that the bonding material must be of the kind which will set up without shrinking so as not to result in deflection or misalignment of the wires as curing takes place.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A loom reed having a rigid, substantially rectangular frame including spaced pairs of transversely extending, parallel bars at the top and bottom for receiving between them the ends of a plurality of dent wires disposed transversely of the frame, a plurality of dent wires disposed in spaced parallel relation within the frame with their ends located respectively, between the top and bottom pairs of bars, bearing means along the top and bottom bars spaced from the end extremities of the dent wires, and an elastic matrix filling the spaces between the end portions of the dent wires within the bars and the space between the end extremities of the dent wires and the bearing means, the matrix layer situated at the ends of the wires forming a cushion of sufiicient thickness to absorb pressure applied to the top and bottom without trransrnitting it to the ends of the wires.

2. A loom reed having a rigid, substantially rectangular frame including spaced pairs of transversely extending, parallel bars at the top and bottom for receiving between them the ends of a plurality of dent wires disposed transversely of the frame, a plurality of dent wires disposed in spaced parallel relation within the frame with their ends located respectively, between the top and bottom pairs of bars, rigid bearing caps spaced from the end extremities of the dent wires and coextensive with the bars, and an elastic matrix filling the space between the end portions of the dent wires within the bars and the spaces between the end extremities of the wires and the caps, the matrix layer situated at the ends of the wires forming a cushion which prevents application of pressure directly to the ends of the wires.

3. A loom reed having a rigid, substantially rectangular frame including spaced pairs of transversely extending, parallel bars at the top and bottom for receiving between them the ends of a plurality of dent wires disposed transversely of the frame, a plurality of dent wires disposed in spaced parallel relation within the frame with their ends located, respectively, between the top and bottom pairs of bars, and an elastic matrix filling the spaces between the portions of the dent wires within the bars so as to be yieldable laterally relative to each other as the warp yarns pass through the reed, characterized in that the lateral yield of the wires is controlled independently of their stiffness by the durometer hardness of the matrix.

4. A loom reed according to claim 3, characterized in that the lateral yield of the portions of the dent wires between the ends embedded within the matrix is controlled by the durometer hardness of the matrix at the ends.

5. A loom reed according to claim 3, characterized in that the spacing of the wires per inch is limited by the diameter of the wires and the lateral yield is controlled by the durometer hardness of the matrix.

6. A loom reed according to claim 3, characterized in that the number of dent wires per inch may be increased and the diameter decreased by increasing the durometer hardness of the matrix.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,783,780 Wagner Mar. 5, 1957 2,869,587 Schmidt Jan. 20, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 849,502 France Aug. 21, 1939 

